Beyond The Bell Upson County has partnered with local first responders to host the “What To Do when You See Blue” town hall event Saturday, June 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Silvertown Baptist Church, located at 300 W. Goodrich Ave. Thomaston, Ga. 30286. These leaders of the Upson County community will inform attendees about what to expect and the processes of getting stopped by a police officer with advice on what to do.

The featured speakers at the event will include Sergeant Derric Pearson with the Thomaston Sheriff’s Department, Officer Kentavious Traylor of the Thomaston Police Department, and a representative from the Thomaston-Upson Fire Department. There will be a Q&A session with all three speakers following the event and lunch will be provided to attendees as well as free information materials.

“It can be intimidating for citizens, especially youth, to interact with law enforcement due to a lack of understanding and trust. The goal of this free town hall event is to encourage honest conversation and positive interactions between law enforcement and the citizens of Upson County,” said Executive Director Sandra Dean. “We are thrilled to be working with the Upson County Sheriff’s Office. Police department, and fire department to inform our community’s youth about what to do when they interact with law enforcement.”

Beyond The Bell, along with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) provides tools and evidence-based strategies to train, educate, and support youth and families in the prevention of alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco use and abuse.

Beyond The Bell offers programs to the community including the “Botvin Life Skills Training”, which consists of a 7-week groundbreaking substance abuse and violence prevention program which is designed to promote mental health and positive youth development. They also implement the “Positive Social Norms” campaign which focuses on the fact that people’s behavior often is influenced by their perceptions of what is “normal” or “typical.” The problem is that people usually severely misperceive the typical behaviors or attitudes of their peers. For example, if people believe that the majority of their peers drink, then they are more likely to drink. Using social norms marketing to inform people that most of their peers do not drink can potentially lead them to avoid drinking.

For more information about Beyond The Bell and its programs/resources, please visit www.beyondthebellkids.org.